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Whale and Dolphin Conservation partners with local artist for art auction

PLYMOUTH, MA - Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) has partnered with local artist Erik Simmons...
dolphin FB Fundraiser

e.l.f. Cosmetics announces new “porpoise-ful” initiative to benefit Whale and Dolphin Conservation

For Immediate Release, March 16, 2023 OAKLAND, CA - On the fins of its first...

Kiska the ‘world’s loneliest whale’ dies at Canadian theme park

Kiska, dubbed the loneliest whale in the world, has died at Marineland, a zoo and...
Grey seal is released from the kennel on the ocean side of Duxbury Beach

Why did the seal cross the road? WDC responds to a grey seal near Gurnet Point in Plymouth, MA

Grey seal is released from the kennel on the ocean side of Duxbury Beach For...

Revealed – how whales gulp massive loads of seawater without pain

Researchers from the University of British Columbia, Canada, who have been studying the feeding habits of whales that lunge feed, have uncovered the reason why these huge creatures are able to scoop up such massive volumes of water in their mouths without feeling any pain.

This particular group, baleen whales, are known for their pleated throats. The pleats allow the whales to take in huge gulps of water, which they then push out of their mouths with their tongues, past their bristle-like baleen. The water gets forced out, while food (prey) is trapped and swallowed. This is known a lunge feeding.

But, feeding this way isn’t easy. When baleen whales (like the Blue whale) gulp up a mouthful of water to filter for food, a pouch of skin under their chins has to stretch to its limits (expanding by over 150%) in order to hold the heavy load. This stretch should hurt, but new research finds that whale nerves are specially adapted to prevent these giant creatures from feeling pain.

The whales’ nerves are coiled in a tight spiral that allows them to work when stretched. Normally, nerve fibres should not be able to coil so tightly but it appears that these whales have a second level of waviness that allows the nerve fibres to twist around the curves without stretching.